Hi Rob,
I enjoyed the koan. But not sure if the analogy would work with awareness/existence.

However, it made me realize something useful. Advaita Vedanta is like science where the most straightforward explanation (with the fewest assumptions) is accepted logically. (Sort of Occam's razor like). The mind is indispensable to AV and science.

Buddhism (of which I know nothing admittedly) may work more like philosophy (of which I know even less) where the more complex the scenario, the less likely it is to become a mind-based conceptualization.

And both paths appeal to different people. And that is really a good thing .

HI rM, I agree. Call it what you like---(but ultimately it does have to be of the nature of awareness/existence ).
Hope I'm only being mildly annoying and I'll refrain from further disrupting this fine thread.

runstrails wrote:Hi Rob,
I enjoyed the koan. But not sure if the analogy would work with awareness/existence.

However, it made me realize something useful. Advaita Vedanta is like science where the most straightforward explanation (with the fewest assumptions) is accepted logically. (Sort of Occam's razor like). The mind is indispensable to AV and science.

Buddhism (of which I know nothing admittedly) may work more like philosophy (of which I know even less) where the more complex the scenario, the less likely it is to become a mind-based conceptualization.

Buddhism (or the sort that I resonate with) is simply about a preparation to be open to what is - as it is. This is why meditation/presence is at the heart of it. For now drop the philosophy and the logical conclusions (as I say, they can come later, after the fact), move out of the analytical mind and rest - with curiosity - in THIS or ___________. It might soon become clear that there is no separation from THIS - that there is no THIS and a ‘me’ that stands apart from it. But this is not a rationalisation this is a visceral shift in perspective. It’s not a conclusion (apart from after the fact) but a living-present-realisation.

There’s no requirement to formulate what THIS is (we can’t know.) Awareness will do, so will Living-ness or Life or Reality or BE-ing or whatever. It doesn’t matter, none are right, they are simply pointers.